New Bloomfield hires new police chief

Christopher Hammann of Fulton, a New Bloomfield police corporal, has been promoted to chief of police for the city of New Bloomfield.

Hammann was sworn into the office at Thursday night’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen.

Hammann has five years of combined experience as a law enforcement officer, serving the last year as corporal with the New Bloomfield Police Department.

He is a graduate of the Missouri Sheriff’s Academy and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbia College. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice.

An Army veteran, Hammann is a Glock-certified armorer and a pistol instructor for the National Rifle Association.

Hammann served 15 years as a Cole County volunteer fireman. He also is a member of the Human Rights Commission for the city of Fulton. He lives in Fulton with his wife Jennifer and their two children.

As a New Bloomfield police officer, Hammann helped organize the Shop with a Cop program at Christmas for the last two years. He also has worked many community and school events.

Harmmann plans to continue those efforts working closely with the school district to improve the safety of students and staff members. He also plans to continue pursuing grant funds for the New Bloomfield Police Department.

New Bloomfield Mayor Michael Lowe Sr. said the city received several applications for the job. Numerous interviews were conducted of the qualified candidates and the Board of Aldermen decided unanimously to hire Harmmann as police chief.

“Chris has demonstrated his commitment to the city repeatedly during the last several years,” Lowe said, “and he has shown that he cares about this community.”

Lowe said Hammann is known around New Bloomfield and well respected.

“I actually had several residents contact me to voice their recommendation of him when they learned he had applied for the position,” Lowe said.

Hammann said he is excited about the opportunity to continue serving New Bloomfield residents and upholding the integrity of the police department.

Former New Bloomfield Police Chief John Hatfield resigned from that office at the end of February in order to devote more time to his family. The mayor and board of aldermen approved a resolution praising Hatfield for his almost eight years of service as police chief for the city of New Bloomfield.